The Lazarus Puzzle
by Agent Angelstorm
Summary: The world's best puzzle detective must team up with Metropolis's best super couple and the time traveling H.G. Wells to change an event from the long forgotten past. But there is another team-up going on: Tempus and Don Paolo, who seek to stop them!
1. Prologue

Okay, people, I know the drill—_Lois & Clark_ and the _Professor Layton_ puzzle game series aren't mine. The puzzles I give in this crossover story are, however. Please consider playing the games (particularly the most recent, _Professor Layton and the Unwound Future_) before reading this, as it contains a spoiler of sorts. Enjoy!

Professor Hershel Layton reclined in his chair, reading another strange letter from a somewhat unknown source. The further on he read, the more concerned he became.

_Dear Professor H. Layton;_

_I am sincerely eager to assist you in a certain matter, although you are not aware of what is happening at this time. I fear, though, that it might not be safe to give my full name—and you might not believe me were I to sign this. So for now, my initials alone must suffice. However, allow me to share a puzzle with you that will provide a clue as to part of what I am suggesting:_

_A type of fish and a city in North Korea are the first half of this,_

_While the latter half works aboard various sailing ships._

_The answer is lost when one misplaces a pair of shoes,_

_But a husband and a wife together, never will they lose._

_What is the common denominator? What is this thing?_

_A carefully given answer will make your heart sing!_

_I will reveal my identity to you by tomorrow—I doubt it will take you very long to solve the puzzle provided—and I will be bringing two of my friends with me to assist, and who will need your assistance as well. I fear that they have an enemy who has participated in an event during your time that affects them, as much as it does you._

_Best regards,_

_H.G.W._

Layton looked over the puzzle that the author had given him again, marveling over the complexity of it, while saddened by the simplicity of the answer.

"A soul mate," Layton said aloud, though only the walls heard. Then he turned his head ever so slightly to look at the picture on his desk. Next to him in that picture was a young woman with a smile that even now took his breath away.

His own soul mate.

The one who died before he could ask her for forever.

"Claire," he whispered huskily. For a moment, he smiled at her picture. Then, slowly, the smile faded, remembering his final farewell to his soul mate, Claire Folly.

He had always taught his apprentice, the curious Luke Triton, "A true gentleman never shows his tears in public places." He remembered standing by her grave. There were many weeping openly, but his eyes remained dry through the entire graveside service. He offered her family his condolences. He comforted her friends, even though some of them were unofficially his enemies. Yet after all had left, he remained there. An hour passed, and he simply stood there.

Then reality hit him hard. Claire Folly—the love of his life, his reason to breathe, a maiden in a white lab coat—was gone.

She was dead, never to return.

She would never get to kiss him again.

She would never joke about the experiments that went wacky again.

She would never be there to encourage her true gentleman to be his best—ever again.

He would never get the chance to ask her for forever.

He fell to his knees by her grave. As rain started to fall, his own floodgates opened. For once, he did not want to be a gentleman. He did not want to be strong. He did not want to live. He allowed the tears to stream unhindered down his face

Outside of the cemetery, everything was silent. But in the graveyard, Hershel Layton screamed in agony.

Now, unlike eleven years ago, he wept silently for his soul mate, the puzzle the mysterious person had written all but forgotten on his desk.


	2. Chapter 1: I Promise

"I know Mr. Wells will be showing up to take us to the past," Lois Lane told her husband, Clark Kent. "But why would he leave us with a puzzle to solve beforehand? He's never done that before." She sat down on their couch, tired of pacing in the living room.

Clark shrugged. "Maybe the puzzle has something to do with the past? I'll be honest with you, though, Honey—this is baffling me, too." He stopped talking when he saw North Korea on the map that he had spread out on the table for help. The answer jumped out at him almost immediately. "That's it!"

Lois looked at him with surprise—and a touch of annoyance. "What's it?"

"Sole is a type of fish, there is a city called Soel in North Korea, and the bottom of a shoe is called a sole!"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with this puzzle?" she replied, rather unimpressed.

"That's not all, Lois. He mentioned a ship _mate_, and pointed to a husband and wife as being _mates_." Clark then looked at his own wife, gently brushing her cheek with his hand. "Besides, what does everyone keep telling us we are?"

"Soul mates," Lois answered softly. Looking back at him, she said, "I guess it's a good thing that I have one."

He smiled at her. "Yeah—I think that could be said for both of us." He closed the gap between them and kissed her softly. "I guess we'd better get ready for time trav—" He was interrupted by screams for help from Hobbs Bay. A tourist boat had overturned, and everyone on board was in a panic.

Lois noticed the look on his face. "Go, Clark—I'll get things set for his arrival."

Clark spun into the Suit, kissed her, and said, "I'll be back before Mr. Wells gets here." Then he took off for the emergency.

Lois made herself busy, as well. The time machine was large enough to take up a majority of the living room, so she started moving the table and chairs against the walls. She was about to start maneuvering the couch, when Clark returned, a look of relief on his face. "I take it things went well?"

He nodded, and then lifted the large piece of furniture. "Yeah, I got all of the passengers off safely, and returned for the staff. The captain was pretty ticked that I started with the others first, but I kept quiet." He placed the couch up against the wall, sat down, and motioned for Lois to join him, which she did gladly." He had been drinking too much wine, so I'm sure he didn't realize what had happened, not to mention that he had caused it. Once everyone was clear, I set the boat aright in one of the docks. The captain's supervisors were nearby, and I have a feeling he might regret things once he's sober, since he had been warned multiple times. Thankfully, there were no injuries, so I wasn't needed for anything else."

"That is a relief," Lois stated somberly.

Just then, they heard a whirring of machinery, followed by a flash of light, and completed by the sudden appearance of H.G. Wells and his trusty time machine. Both Lois and Clark stood to their feet to enter the machine, when Lois suddenly halted.

"Oh no, that's not good," she said shakily, sitting back down. She had a look on her face that was somewhere between sickness and pain.

"Lois!" Her husband was instantly by her side, while Mr. Wells climbed out of the contraption in alarm.

"Honey, are you all right?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, I just had a dizzy spell," she answered breathily. "But it felt so weird! It was almost as if I was physically being unwound from the inside out!"

"I feared this might happen," their visitor said.

"Mr. Wells, what's going on? What's wrong with Lois?"

"To make a long story short, Tempus has gone back into time to stop Lois's ancestry from proceeding." Mr. Wells responded. "Not only that, but he has formed an alliance with one of their enemies, as well. And we mustn't wait any longer to set things back in order. We must go promptly. I will explain things to everyone involved once we're there."

Accepting Clark's hand up, Lois stood up gingerly. "Let's go, then."

Meanwhile, Hershel Layton was waking up. After crying for Claire the night before, he went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately. However, it would not be one of the dreamless sleeps he desired. He found himself reliving the last hour before she went back to her last moment. The time machine that Dimitri Allen and Bill Hawks built had worked, sending her ten years into the future. He had been overjoyed to be reunited with his beloved, but it was not to remain so.

That night, they had stood facing each other in the alleyway, her saying farewell, him trying to keep composure. He pleaded with her to stay; she reminded him of the ramifications.

Both hearts were breaking. She kissed him goodbye and walked further into the alley, never to return to his embrace.

Unlike the previous dreams he had had, however, Claire paused after kissing him.

_What is it, my love? _Layton asked.

_Hershel, I know I said goodbye to you once, _she said, _but this time, I have the strangest feeling that I will be allowed the respite of your arms again._

He sighed, tears starting to fall down his face. _Claire, what about the changes to history?_

_Dimitri and Bill didn't know what they were doing, _she answered thoughtfully. _But I believe there is someone who does who might help change the situation for us._

_Claire…_

_I must leave you now, but I promise that this time, nothing will stop me from returning._

Then, walking into the alley, she disappeared back to that awful day.

Once he was completely awake, Layton went back to his desk and read the letter again.

For once, although he knew not how, he was sure he would have his soul mate once more. Moreover, the letter said he would receive visitors sometime today. It was on short term notice, which bothered him a little, but that didn't matter right now. He set about at once to fix some tea for his guests, and readied a plate of cookies that (for once) Flora, his ward from St. Mystere, had made correctly. Looking about the room, he thought about how little time he had been given to prepare things. Of course were he not constantly solving puzzles and cracking cases, he would have more time.

Just then, he heard a knock on the door. He grabbed his top hat, and went to answer it. As he approached, he heard three voices outside.

"Hold on, Lois—you'll be all right once we're inside."

"Maybe I should have stayed at home while you guys solved this one."

"No, dear—he would have taken advantage of things while we were here. Believe me, I looked into it."

Layton opened the door to greet his guests, and saw that the woman (was her name Lois?) was leaning on the taller, younger man, while the older, shorter one had turned his attention to their host.

"Good day to you all," he greeted them cheerfully enough. "I suppose you are the three that were to swing by for a visit?" Then, noticing Lois's pale face, he opened the door wider for them to pass through. "Hurry inside and sit down—the lady seems to be a little ill."

As soon as all were inside, he escorted Lois to one of the more comfortable chairs and offered her some tea and a cookie. She graciously accepted them, and Layton felt strangely akin to her somehow.

"Thank you, sir," Lois said rather weakly.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," he replied, tipping his hat with a grin. "After all, that's what a gentleman does."


End file.
